Early voting has begun for the Lake Travis School Bond Issue 2011.
Please vote YES and vote EARLY for the Lake Travis School Bond 2011.
Registered voters who live within the Lake Travis Independent School District may vote early from Monday, October 24 - Friday, November 4, 2011.
The best early voting location is Randall's Lakeway. Voting at Randall's will be Mon - Friday, 7 AM - 7 PM. Saturday 8 AM - 6 PM and Sunday Noon - 6 PM.
I have lived in Lakeway for 21 years. My children attended school here K - 12 and I remember our struggles early on. Lakeway (and the LTISD) has become a very desirable place to live. It is imperative that as a community we vote to maintain the high quality of education that has been a huge catalyst to the positive growth of our area. We cannot regain the small community we once were, however we can work to make sure our community is the best it can be.
If you would like more information about the Bond, please go to www.ltisdschools.org/domain/10
Following are some of the Lake Travis Bond Issue 2011 FAQs: (Click here for the full version)
The Lake Travis Independent School District (LTISD) Board of Trustees has called a bond election for Tuesday, November 8, 2011, asking LTISD voters to authorize the Board to issue and sell bonds in the amount of $158,455,000 for construction and expansion of school facilities; technology and instructional needs; maintenance of facilities; and acquisition of buses, vehicles, equipment and land parcels.
How can bond money be used?
Bond money can be used for new schools and facilities, expansion and renovation of existing facilities, furniture, technology, equipment, buses and other support vehicles, new school sites and other necessary land parcels. However, bond money cannot be used to fund employee salaries, benefits, or other operating costs.
What are the needs outlined in this bond proposal?
The bond—as proposed by the citizens’ advisory committee—is designed to:
§ Accommodate projected increase in student enrollment by adding and expanding instructional facilities;
§ Maintain and repair District facilities;
§ Provide instructional resources, including technology.
The 2011 projected bond program component—as proposed by the advisory committee—include the following:
§ New Elementary School #6 $25,000,538
§ New Lake Travis Middle School $53,729,520
§ Expansion of Lake Travis HS into $20,624,740
Current Lake Travis MS Campus
§ Expansion of Hudson Bend MS $22,246,711
§ Upgrades for Existing Facilities $20,727,262
District-wide Improvements $16,126,229
(including overall contingency and closing costs)
TOTAL BOND PACKAGE $158,455,000
- When was the last bond election, and how was the money spent?
The last bond election, held on September 10, 2005 for approximately $127 million, funded the following projects:
§ Expansion of Lake Travis High School, Lake Travis Middle School and Hudson Bend Middle School
§ Construction of Serene Hills Elementary School
§ Elementary School Upgrades and Renovations
§ Technology Replacements and Upgrades
§ Instructional Materials and Equipment
§ Safety and Security Measures at all campuses
§ Replacement of Aging Buses and Support Vehicles
§ Construction of the New Transportation and Distribution Center
§ Renovation of the old Transportation Center to a New Maintenance Center
§ Educational Development Center Renovations
§ Administration Building Renovations
§ Land Acquisitions for Future Facilities
- How will the District address projected student growth issues if the referendum is rejected by voters?
If the bond referendum is rejected by the voters, LTISD will have to resort to the use of portable classroom buildings to provide teaching space for the coming student enrollment overage. An estimated 50 to 60 portable classroom buildings will be needed by 2015 at an estimated cost of $5 to $6 million. Funding for these portables will have to come from the District’s Operating and Maintenance revenue. Lake Travis ISD is a Chapter 41 (Robin Hood) school district which means approximately 50% of our Maintenance and Operation—or M&O—tax revenue is recaptured and sent back to the state. The $5 to $6 million cost of these portables will require tax revenue of $10 to $12 million to overcome the net impact of recapture.
- What’s the historical accuracy of our current demographer as it pertains to student enrollment projections?
Since 2006, the District has retained the services of College Station, Texas-based demographer Population And Survey Analysts (PASA). Since that time, the firm has consistently tracked the District’s student enrollment along a moderate (medium) growth rate. For the 2011-2012 school year, PASA’s projection is within 45 students of its initial projection taken in 2006, a less than one percent margin of error.
- How will the bond debt be paid down?
The bond will be structured similar to a personal home mortgage. Many items like technology, instructional materials and school buses will be amortized over useful life so that the tax rate decreases over time. Capital outlay, i.e., the construction of school buildings, will likely be financed over 25-30 years.
- How much money does the District have in surplus from the 2006 bond?
As of September 30, 2011, the 2006 bond program had a balance of $3.7 million of which $2 million is restricted for specific purposes. For example, the construction of the Transportation & Distribution Center is not yet closed out, and a portion of the $2 million is appropriated for that purpose. Other items for which portions of the $2 million are appropriated include furniture, fixtures and small equipment. The remaining $1.7 million of the $3.7 million are contingency funds that are not already appropriated.
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